Jennifer Hawks

Associate General Counsel

Jennifer Hawks, a native of Germantown, Tennessee, is the associate general counsel at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. She provides legal analysis on church-state issues that arise before Congress, the courts and administrative agencies. Hawks also assists in the BJC’s education efforts and responds to pastors and other constituents who have questions about church-state matters.

Before coming to the Baptist Joint Committee, Hawks was the director of advocacy and outreach services for the Family Abuse Center in Waco, Texas, where she conducted a legal clinic and led educational programs. She previously worked for two judges in the state of Mississippi and served as a staff attorney for the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Hawks also served in both paid and volunteer ministry positions in Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas. She has published papers in the journal of the Texas Baptist Historical Society and Baptist History & Heritage Journal.

A graduate of Mississippi College and the University of Mississippi School of Law, Hawks earned a Master of Divinity degree from George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. She is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, Texas and Mississippi bars, and she was ordained into the Gospel ministry by McLean Baptist Church in McLean, Virginia.

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About the BJC

The Baptist Joint Committee's mission is to defend and extend God-given religious liberty for all, furthering the Baptist heritage that champions the principle that religion must be freely exercised, neither advanced nor inhibited by government.

Did You Know?

Founded in 1936, the Baptist Joint Committee is the only faith-based agency devoted solely to religious liberty and the separation of church and state. The BJC protects the free exercise of religion and defends against its establishment by government.

Working With Others

A proven bridge-builder, the BJC works with a wide range of religious and nonreligious groups in education and advocacy efforts. Since colonial times, Baptists have worked in alliance with other believers and nonbelievers alike when we find common cause.